A man approached me on the plane and asked if he could hold my hand. This was the weirdest part of my journey.

I flew from Amsterdam to LA a few days ago and it was pretty uneventful. I read a couple books, watched a couple movies, took a couple naps, ate a couple meals. The typical economy passenger experience. <br><br>But there was one moment that was so bizarre that it stands out as a highlight of my journey, and also a low point.<br><br>I was sitting in my window seat, wearing noise cancelling headphones and in a meditative state, when a middle aged man sat down next to me. I didn’t notice this happens until a flight attendant announced it was now safe to remove your masks.<br><br>He introduced himself and said that he was going through a really tough time at the moment. He was on his way to visit his brother in LA because his brother and his wife had been badly burned in a house fire, and he was struggling to cope.<br><br>He asked if he could hold my hand. <br><br>I’m not sure if it was the fatigue of the journey, the kindness of strangers mode or the fact that my mum always taught me that everyone is worth giving a second chance that I said yes.<br><br>We talked for the rest of the flight. I asked if he had any news from his brother. He said he hadn’t spoken to him yet, but his wife had posted an update on Instagram. He read me the update and it was pretty grim. They were both in critical condition, with second degree burns over 60% of their bodies. They were going to be in hospital for months. He told me that he hadn’t slept since he got the news on Monday, and that he felt lost.<br><br>He asked if I wanted to see the Instagram post and I said that I didn’t, I didn’t want to feel any worse than I already did. He said he understood. <br><br>We talked some more and I asked him what his relationship with his brother was like. He said they were close growing up, but that they went their own separate ways as adults. He said he was a lot more introverted than his brother, who was a social butterfly and a ladies man. They had had a falling out over some woman 15 years ago, and their relationship had never been the same since.<br><br>He asked me if I wanted to see some photos of when they were younger. I said I didn’t want to see any more sad photos than I already had, and he said he understood. <br><br>We talked some more. I asked him what his relationship with his wife was like. He said she was a wonderful woman, kind, caring, smart and funny. He said he had loved her from the moment he saw her, but she had always turned him down. He said he didn’t know why she had never wanted him, but he accepted it and moved on with his life.<br><br>He asked me if I was going to LA for work or holiday. I told him I was going there for work and then would be on my way to Sydney. He said he had family in Sydney. <br><br>He asked me if I had ever been to Australia before. I told him I had lived there as a child. He asked what it was like. I told him it was great. He asked if I missed it. I said I did, but not very much.<br><br>He asked if he could look at my phone. I said no, I don’t give people I just met access to my phone.<br><br>He looked out the window. <br><br>We talked some more.<br><br>When we landed he said that he had felt a little better talking to me, but he knew that the feeling wouldn’t last. He said he would need to get a taxi to his brother’s house, and then he wouldn’t be the same person again until he got some rest. <br><br>I asked if he had somewhere to stay. He said he would stay with his brother for the duration of the stay, but he would be sleeping on a recliner in the waiting room. He said he didn’t want to burden his brother with the added stress of having him in the hospital room.<br><br>I asked if he had any cash on him. He said he only had $20. I said that I didn’t want him to run out of money while his wife was in hospital, so I gave him $60.<br><br>He thanked me. I said he should try to get some rest, and that I wished him and his wife a speedy recovery. <br><br>This was the weirdest part of my journey so far, and it was the best. I hope his brother and his wife get better soon.